In commemoration of this day, the South African Human Rights Commission will host the National Information Officers Forum and Golden Key Awards Ceremony.

The event will be attended by Information and Deputy Information Officers from public bodies, civil society and private sector actors. Discussions on the day will focus on the importance and role of access to information in achieving social justice and good governance.  

The theme of the event is “access to information and its relevance to the realization of Socio- Economic rights.

DATE: Friday, 28 September 2012
VENUE: Sunnyside Park Hotel, Parktown, (cnr St. Andrews and York Streets) Johannesburg.
TIME: 09:00-13:00

Some of the notable speakers who are expected to speak at this event include, the CEO of the Office of the Public Protector Mr Themba Mthethwa, and the Deputy Auditor General, Mr Kimi Makwethu.

The National Information Officers Forum will culminate into the Golden Key Awards Ceremony, to award  best practice in the implementation of the Promotion of Access to Information Act2 of 2000(PAIA) and to incentivize non compliant public bodies to comply with PAIA and implement it accordingly.

This annual gathering forms part of the broader initiative of the Commission to raise awareness around PAIA and the right to access information. The Commission hopes that through engagements such as these public officials responsible for the implementation of PAIA are sensitized about the right  of access to information and their duty to ensure that citizens attain and exercise their right accordingly.

The Commission further seeks to highlight the importance of access to information in a growing democracy as an enabling right empowering citizen to hold government accountable and to entrench a culture of transparency and accountability.

END
ISSUED BY: Isaac Mangena
South African Human Rights Commission
Head: Communications
+27118776303
2771884 8273